Recklessly Abandoned TVs

Some lay shattered in back alleys, destined for the landfill.
Others were positioned near street corners, as if on display.
One joined a chorus line of trash cans.
Another was bound and gagged by duct tape.
They were television sets deemed outdated,
relics of a previous era, unable to compete
with their younger, more svelte peers.
On Friday, the switch from analog to digital broadcasting finally happened.
For the past year, I have been documenting discarded televisions,
which became objets d’art dotting our landscape.
What will happen to the TV sets that become e-waste?
Illinois last year enacted a law banning electronics
waste from landfills starting in 2012.
Missouri has no similar law - meaning residents can dump TVs with the trash.
But televisions do not decompose.
Older sets can contain 8 pounds of lead, installed to protect viewers from radiation.
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